Method and apparatus for lubricating needle cylinders in circular-knitting machines



March 17, 1970 H. KCHLER ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING NEEDLE CYLINDERS IN CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 6, 1968 //E//YZ mm ER GER/MED HOEBER W/ T'QA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,500,661 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING NEEDLE CYLINDERS IN CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES Heinz Kiihler and Gerhard Hoeber, Ingolstadt, Germany, assignors to Schubert & Sal'zer Maschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft, Ingolstadt, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Feb. 6, 1968, Ser. No. 703,408 Claims priority, application Germany, Feb. 8, 1967, Sch 40,185 Int. Cl. D04b 9/00, 35/28; F16n U00 7 U.S. Cl. 66-8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE One or more tubes extend into the needle cylinder interior to supply lubricating oil to an annular groove formed in the interior cylinder wall. Such oil flows from such interior wall groove through a plurality of ports to an annular groove formed in the cylinder exterior wall adjacent to the needle stems. In a stationary cylinder the oil flows by gravity through ports inclined downwardly from the interior wall groove to the exterior wall groove. In a rotating cylinder the oil is flung through the ports by centrifugal force. The needle pushrods are lubricated by a similar port-and-groove arrangement in which the interior wall groove is supplied by additional tubes or from a second interior wall groove alongside the first. Ports in the bottom of such second interior wall groove supply oil to the lower pushrod interior wall groove.

. In circular-knitting machines the knitting needles and needle pushrods slide reciprocably in longitudinal grooves in the outer wall of a cylinder. In order to guide the needles precisely, the grooves are close-fitting so that a large frictional force may be produced by the needle reciprocation. In order to prevent overheating of the rela tively moving parts, to reduce wear and to reduce the power necessary to drive the needles, it is necessary to provide lubrication in the cylinder grooves.

Heretofore such lubrication has been accomplished manually, or by automatic oil droppers or oil-spraying devices. By such conventional lubricating methods, the lubricant is applied on the exterior of the needle cylinder and tends to drip down the cylinder wall without penetrating into the needle groove behind the needle stem, as discussed in the Hosiery Trade Journal, February 1966, No. 866, pages 127, 129 and 131.

Consequently, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide means to supply lubricant more effectively between the reciprocating needles and pushrods and their guide grooves.

It is a further object to provide lubricating means which supply the lubricant directly between the groove bottom and needle stem.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of needle-mounting apparatus with the needle cylinder shown in axial section.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary axial section through such needle-mounting apparatus showing a modified form of lubricating system.

In contrast to previous lubricating methods, the present invention provides means for supplying oil to the interior of the hollow needle cylinder and through such cylinder to the base of the needle grooves. This is especially important for rotating needle cylinders because if the oil is supplied exteriorly, centrifugal force created by the rotating cylinder promptly flings the oil outwardly before it can penetrate into the needle grooves.

'Ihe lubricating method of the present invention can be used on all circular-knitting machines whether the 3,500,661 Patented Mar. 17, 1970 ice cylinder is rotary or stationary. The invention is illustrated and described herein in connection with'a circular knitting machine for womens hosiery in which the needle cylinder is rotary.

In FIGURE 1, needle cylinder 1 rotatable about its upright axis has external ribs 2 extending lengthwise of the cylinder forming the sides of the needle grooves re ceiving latch needles 3 and pushrods 4. Dial 5 capping the cylinder is rotatable with such cylinder. Suction tube 6 extending through and coaxial with the cylinder is sta-' tionary and has a flared mouth 60 at its upper end. As

- the knitting progresses the completed portion of a stockterior.

Through one or more tubes 7 extending upward along the stationary suction tube '6, oil is supplied from a pump 8 into an annular groove 10 formed in the interior wall of the cylinder. The upper end of supply tube 7 terminates in a return bend 70 to direct oil into interior wall groove 10. A second annular groove 11 is formed in the cylinder exterior wall behind the stems of needles 3. Oil is supplied from interior wall groove 10 through a plurality of ports 12 into exterior wall groove 11. Oil overflowing from the exterior wall groove is supplied directly into the bottom of the needle grooves between the relatively sliding surfaces of such grooves and the needle stems.

The interior wall groove 10 is preferably located at I an elevation slightly higher than the exterior wall groove 11 and ports 12 are inclined downwardly toward the exterior wall groove. Such relative arrangement of grooves 10 and 11 permits oil to flow by gravity from groove 10 to groove 11. Such gravity flow is particularly suitable for lubricating the grooves of stationary needle cylinders, but also supplements the centrifugal force of a rotating cylinder to urge the oil outward from groove 10 to groove 11. In order to distribute the oil more evenly, particularly if only one supply tube 7 for the interior wall groove 10 is used, it is desirable to have the inner ends of ports 12 spaced above the bottom of interior wall groove 10 so that oil supplied to such groove will flow around it to attain a substantially uniform level circumferentially of the cylinder before the ports are sup- I plied with oil. In this manner, substantially equal amounts of oil will be supplied to all of the needle grooves. Addition of a plurality of supply tubes 7 spaced circumfer-' entially around suction tube 6 also would facilitate such uniform oil distribution.

The exterior groove 11 should be cut deeply into the wall of cylinder 1 to pass behind ribs 2, or such ribs may be notched to provide a circumferentially continuous groove 11.

By the lubricating system describe dabove, the oil is supplied directly to the bottoms of the needle grooves. Each needle stem acts as a wall to prevent oil from being flug by centrifugal force out from its groove. The stem will carry the oil thrust against it longitudinally of the groove as the needle reciprocates to effect distribution of oil along the groove.

If the needle groves in cylinder 1 are relatively long, it may be desirable to supply additional port-and-groove systems along the length of the cylinder. For example, to lubricate pushrods 4 and their grooves, a lower interior wall groove below the upper interior wall groove 10 supplies oil to a lower exterior wall groove 110, below the upper exterior wall groove 11, in the bottom of the pushrod groves through ports 120. A separate supply tube 71 extending upward along the stationary suction tube 6 has a return bent end 72 which feeds oil to groove 100.

FIGURE 2 shows an alternate construction for suplying oil to the upper and lower interior annular wall rooves 10 and 100, respectively. If it is not desirable to rovide separate supply "tubes 71 for the lower interior wall roove 100, such groove can be supplied with oil from a upplemental interior wall groove 13 alongside upper rough 10. The two interior wall grooves 10 and 13 are eparated by a ridge 15 having a sharp apex, the opposite ides of such ridge sloping from the apex downwardly award the bottoms of grooves 10 and 13, respectively. The mouth of supply tube 7, 70 is located directly above he apex of ridge 15 so that oil is distributed substantially qually to both grooves 10 and 13. Oil in groove 13 runs lownward. through vertical ports 14 in the groove bottom vnd along the interior wall of cylinder 1 by gravitational orce and/or centrifugal force if the needle cylinder is of he rotative type, to be collected in lower interior wall groove 100 and transferred through ports 120 to lower exerior wall groove 110. I

If it is preferred that no oil supply tubes extend a ubstantial distance axially of the cylinder interior, oil. :an be supplied periodically through staggered bores 61 Ind 62 in the flaring mouth of suction tube 6 to grooves L and 13. The dial may be removed to provide access 0 the bores. Oil supplied through 'such bores can drop into he interior wall grooves and 13 or conduits connecting Jores 61 'and 62 with grooves 10 and 13, respectively, may )6 provided.

We claim:

1. The method of lubricating needle cylinders and ieedles slidable relative thereto in a circular-knitting nachine comprising supplying liquid lubricant to an aniular groove formed in the interior wall of the needle :ylinder, transferring such lubricant through the cylinder nto an annular groove formed in the exterior wall of the ieedle cylinder, and distributing such lubricant from the exterior wall groove into the space between the exterior :ylinder wall and the needles.

2. Lubricating apparatus for a circular knitting machine including a cylinder, needles reciprocable lengthwise of the cylinder in needle grooves in the exterior wall of the :ylinder extending lengthwise thereof and pushrods re- :iprocable lengthwise of the cylinder for actuating the needles, comprising an annular groove formed in the interior wall of the cylinder, an annular groove formed in the exterior wall of the cylinder communicating with the needle grooves behind the needles, port means extending through the cylinder for fiow'of lubricant therethrough from said interior wall groove to said exterior wall groove, and lubicant supply means for supplying liquid lubricant to said interior wall groove.

4. The lubricating apparatus defined in claim 2, in which the interior wall groove is spaced above the exterior wall groove and the port means is inclined downwardly from the interior of the cylinder toward the exterior of the cylinder for flow of liquid lubricant therethrough by gravity.

5. The lubricating apparatus defined in claim 2, in which the lubricant supply means includes a supply tube communicating with the interior wall, groove.

6. The lubricating apparatus defined in -claim 2, a second annular groove formed in the interior wall of the needle cylinder, the two interior wall grooves being spaced apart longitudinally of the cylinder to provide upper and lower interior wall grooves, a second annular groove formed in the exterior wall of the needle cylinder, the two exterior wall grooves being spaced apart longitudinally of the cylinder corresponding to the spacing of the interior wall grooves to provide upper and lower exterior wall grooves, and port means communicating between said lower interior wall groove and said lower exterior wall groove for flow of liquid lubricant therethrough.

7. The lubricating apparatus defined in claim 6, in

. which the lubricant supply means includes a' first supply tube communicating with the upper interior wall groove and a second supply tube communicating with the lower interior wall groove. 0

8. The lubricating apparatus defined in claim 6, and a supplemental interior annular wall groove alongside the upper interior wall groove, and port means extending through the bottom of said supplemental interior wall groovefor supplying lubricant to the lower interior wall groove.

9. The lubricating apparatus defined in claim 8, in which i the lubricant supply means includes a supply tube communicating with both the upper interior wall groove and the supplemental interior wall groove.

10. The lubricating apparatus defined in claim 2, the

l knitting machine including cover means having an aperture 3. The lubricating apparatus defined inclaim 2, in which I the port means is spaced above the bottom of the interior wall groove.

therethrough located for supply of lubricant through it to the interior wall groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,514,500 11/1924 Berdon 66'-8 2,556,007 6/1951 Slagle 668 2,707,872 5/ 1955 McDaniel 668 2,725,734 12/ 1955 Qb'erly 66 -8 3,078,960 2/ 1963 Minton 668 XR FRED C. MATTERN, 1a., Primary Examiner M. A. ANTONAKAS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 66115; 184l 

